Report 00058

Posted by Collin Jensen on May 09, 2014

Defects or Issues Identified

"When discharging reefer containers the ship’s crew are not rolling the power cable up and stowing it away into the cable tray which is attached to reefer unit. Instead the crew are gathering the cable and tying the cable in a bundle and leave the cable hanging out of the reefer unit. On this particular voyage there were 81 import reefers of which approximately 35 have had the cables bundled up. The cable which weighs up to 20kg depending on the length could snag while the reefer container is being discharged and become damaged only being attached to the container by a thin rubber sheath. This action has the potential to cause serious injury to various parts of the workforce in the following way. Cable could fall on people working on the deck while reefer container is being discharged. The pin person is walking below a suspended load to pull cable back as reefer container is lowered onto pin cradle. If damaged the cable could fall on the pin person as they gather cable and move it away from the reefer container as it is landed on pin cradle. The pin person is required to stow the cable in the cable tray while the reefer container is on the pin cradle. This is done by climbing on the side of the pin cradle, standing on the edge of the pin bin or by other means. If the cable has been damaged during discharge, there is the possibility of an electric shock when the reefer attendant plugs the cable into the power source. When reefer attendants are working at the top of a ladder to remove the cable from the cable tray the sudden shift of weight of the bundled up cable falling against the reefer attendant could cause the reefer attendant to lose their balance and fall from the ladder."

Worksite

DP World - Melbourne

Port Arrival

06/03/2014 17:00:00

Previous Issues

"This vessel is a repeat offender of this work practice."

Actions Taken

Local MUA

Safety Report Lodged with company

WorkCover/WorkSage or other authority notified

"I have spoken with a Worksafe official who was going to consult with AMSA. No PIN has been issued due to the uncertainty of who covers this area of work."